Sugar Babies

I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately, or perhaps just pining for the classics. So I went back to one of my favorite fair-weather candies, Sugar Babies.

They come in a friendly yellow package with no frills. Just a the name blazoned across it and the simple description “Delicious Candy Coated Milk Caramels.” Think of them as jelly beans with a heart of caramel. (Mmmm, caramel hearts.)

Sugar Babies were originally made in 1937 by the James O. Welch Company. Not only was he the producer of the whole Sugar Family (Sugar Daddy and Sugar Mama and later Sugar Step-Mama) but also Junior Mints and Milk Duds as well as a long-gone line of fudge bars. Welch sold it to Nabisco in 1963. The Welch family of products changed hands a few more times, going from Nabisco to Warner-Lambert then to Tootsie in 1993, who makes them to this day.

The little morsels are rather soft. The chew is a little grainy at first because of the sugar shell, then becomes smooth with some nice buttery tones and burnt sugar flavors. Then it gets grainy again at the very end before dissolving into a sweet mess.

They’re such simple little candies and complement a wide variety of snacks. I always enjoyed eating them with some salted popcorn or Fritos (I haven’t had Fritos in probably ten years). They go great with ice cream (they get rock hard, then soften up), pretzels, M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces. And they’re cute! Look how cute they are ... have I ever mentioned that my dog is the same color as Sugar Babies?

Sometimes they’re a little stale, but a quick warm up in the palm of your hand or inside of a hot car revives them. I tend to shun chocolate products during the hot summer months, but then I begin to crave creaminess - Sugar Babies kind of straddle that line with the rich caramel taste but added durability of the sugar shell.

I have always loved Sugar Babies—I consider them Happy Candies—the ones that always make you smile and feel all warm and fuzzy and cheery when you eat them. I love the juxtaposition of the graininess and the smooth butter flavor. Aside from chocolate, they are truly the only other candy I cannot resist. Luckily for my teeth and my hips, I don’t see them around much anymore—but everytime I’m in the 99 cent store and see them, I buy them and eat them all myself.

I never felt guilty about eating candy until I had these (For that matter, I haven’t guilty about eating candy since). The not-quite-caramel thing makes me a little uneasy about the ingredients, but I find these candies incredibly delicious. I actually like the texture from the hard outside layer - it adds a little crunch to the chewieness.

Also a note on staleness: on a cold day, you can warm them up on the outside enough to bite into, but that can leave you with an irremovable chunk of colder stuff on a filling. Just be sure you know what you’re getting in to. I’ve lost a filling to these, but I like to think it was worth it.

I absolutely love Sugar Babies! I feel happy/warm when I eat them too. I buy them by the box and sneak them into the movie theater. That’s an even bigger high; to watch a great movie while enjoying my favorite childhood candy.
Sugar Babies(and Johnny Depp.) Yummmm.

Candyology 101 - Episode 35 - Whatchamacallit
In the latest Candyology 101 podcast, Maria and I tackled a little-celebrated candy bar, the Whatchamacallit. We’re also trying out a new format, which is a little shorter, like a handful of fun size candy bars! (more)

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Please do not use my photos without prior permission directly from me, they represent what I ate in preparation for these reviews and are not to be used for other purposes.